New York’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital set to be inaugurated

New York City has unveiled a new $923m public hospital building in Coney Island, designed to provide flood-proof healthcare services to patients in south Brooklyn, reported the New York Times.

The new facility, named after late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is set to open its doors to patients on 7 May.

The project was conceived after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 led to floods in the former Coney Island Hospital campus, forcing the evacuation of 370 patients.

Almost $1bn in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been secured for the construction of the hurricane-resistant building that can withstand heavy floods.

The new Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital features a 4ft-tall barrier wall, self-rising or sliding barriers at all entrances, and mechanical systems, including two large generators, on the fifth floor.

The emergency room, which is now double the size of the old one, is on the second floor, putting it much above the worst flood estimations, and the entire building is covered in hurricane-resistant glass.

Its dozens of behavioural health patients will now be accommodated on the top floors of the new 11-storey tower.

The building also features 80 single rooms, each with a pull-out couch for a relative to stay overnight, thereby providing an improved patient experience.

In addition to hurricane-resistant design, the new hospital is expected to improve the overall quality of healthcare in the area. Hospital Management